Recognizing Safety Issues

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Recognizing Safety Issues at Public Use
Facilities
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Why are we here?
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About 16 murders and 18,000 assaults happen at
work each week in the U.S.
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About 2 million Americans are victims of
workplace violence each year.
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We are here to
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To increase your safety awareness

• To help you recognize potential threats or
  escalating behavior

• To explain the importance of communication styles

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Types of Workplace Violence

• Robbery (67)
• Domestic Violence/Stalking (10)
• Co-Workers, Former Employees or
  Applicants (15)
• Hostile Public (8)
• (Not counting terrorism)

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Risk Factors - Do you.
Have contact with the public?
Work with unstable / volatile persons?
Work alone or in small numbers?
Work in high-crime areas?
Work late night / early morning hours?
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Prevention Strategies

• Environmental design
• Administrative controls
• Behavioral strategies

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Environmental Design

• Physical separation from public
• Cash-handling procedures
• Visibility and lighting
• Security equipment

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Administrative Controls

• Staffing levels
• Zero tolerance policy
• Procedures for reporting/assessing threats
• Tracking system program effectiveness

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Behavioral Strategies

• Training in nonviolent response skills (hostile
  clients, anger management, etc.)
• Training in conflict resolution skills

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Recognizing Trouble!
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Whos using methamphetamine?

• Usually male (70)
• Decline in general appearance
• Pale skin
• Teeth rotting out
• Hair falling out
• Eyes sensitive to light
• Dark circles under eyes
• Injection marks all over body
• Open sores all over body
• All socio-economic groups

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Hazardous waste disposal
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Mobile Lab
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Smoking Devices
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Roach Clips
Intravenous Tools
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Marijuana
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Crack / Cocaine
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Heroin
LSD Blotter Paper
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Ecstasy
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Child Abuse

• In 2006
• 3.6 million cases investigated.
• 1,530 children died.

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How should you handle these?
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Call 911
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Personal Safety

• Safety Strategies

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• Plan your work with an escape route available.

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• Walk with purpose - shoulders back, head up,
  scanning your surroundings.

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• Be alert to whats going on around you.

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• Maintain eye contact.
• Speak first, acknowledge they are there.

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Personal Safety

• Be aware of their hands and actions.

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Personal Safety

• Park in lighted areas.

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Personal Safety

• Leave valuables out of sight and locked-up.

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Personal Safety

• Carry a whistle, alarm, or pepper-spray.

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Personal Safety

• Have keys ready in your hand.

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Personal Safety

• Keep one hand free.

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Personal Safety

• Check the area around and inside your car before
  entering.

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Personal Safety

• If being followed, drive to a well lit, busy area
  to call for help.

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Personal Safety

• Report stranded motorists requesting assistance.
  Dont make yourself vulnerable.

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Tactical Communications

• Dealing With Difficult People

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• You are in daily contact with
• Yourself
• Your organization
• The public
• and must represent your organization
  professionally

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• whether dealing with
• Nice people
• Difficult people, or
• Wimps
• Verbal encounters go with the territory
• Some encounters are difficult and challenging

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HAVE YOU BEEN IN THEIR SHOES?

• What kind of traits do YOU need to emphasize as
  employees?
• Courtesy
• Competence
• Fairness
• Taking appropriate actions

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Keeping Your Cool

• How do you maintain your professionalism in any
  verbal encounter?

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What Is Tactical Communications?

• Similar to Verbal Judo
• The method of persuasion that redirects others
  behavior with words and generates voluntary
  compliance

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Benefits Of Tactical Communications

• Personal safety
• Professionalism
• Reduced complaints

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Tactical Communications lets you focus on the
behavior of others while maintaining your own and
others safety
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and then use appropriate presence and words to
achieve a purpose.
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Listening

• What is the opposite of talking?
• It should be listening, but for most people it is
  waitingwaiting to interrupt!
• Is listening a natural act?
• Good listeners arent born, but made
• Active listening is a highly complex skill
  involving four different steps

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Active Listening

• The 4 steps of active listening
• Being open and unbiased
• Hearing literally
• Interpreting the data
• Acting
• Do people always say what they mean?

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• To be a good communicator, you have to be a good
  listener.
• Never assume that they heard what you said.

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A Most Powerful Tool

• Paraphrasing why is it a powerful communication
  tool?
• You can interrupt someone and not generate
  resistance
• You can take control of the encounter
• You get it right on the spot

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A Most Powerful Tool

• Paraphrasing more reasons why
• The other can correct you if you have made an
  error
• It makes the other person a better listener
• No one will listen harder than to their own point
  of view

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Perceptions

• 2 people 6 people!

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Delivery

• 93 of your effectiveness is in delivery style

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Delivery, Delivery, Delivery

• Over 90 of a message is communicated by delivery
  style!
• Content 7 - 10
• Voice 33 - 40
• Body language 50 - 60

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Content 7 - 10

• If you make a mistake with the words you choose
• Communication breaks down
• Credibility is lost

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Voice 33 - 40

• You have a professional voice and an inner voice
• Your professional voice is you talking on behalf
  of your organization
• Your inner voice is what you have going on inside
  your head

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Voice Components

• Tone attitude
• Conveys your real attitude toward people
• If conflict between role and voice, people will
  believe your voice
• Project empathy and professionalism with tone

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Voice Components

• Pace speed
• Too fast and you sound rushed or uncaring
• Too slow and you sound patronizing or unsure

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Voice Components

• Pitch volume
• Loud sounds intimidating and rude
• Soft lacks authority

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Voice Components

• Modulation inflection
• If improper, the wrong message is sent
• I never said he stole the money.
• I never said HE stole the money.
• I never said he STOLE the money.
• I never said he stole the MONEY.

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Body Language 50 - 60

• Non-verbal communication
• If there is a conflict between verbal and
  non-verbal communication, people will believe any
  non-verbal language first

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Body Language

• Calming stance, with hands relaxed, held at chest
  level or lower
• Stand at a slight angle, not head-on
• Be aware of your facial expressions
• Maintain personal space

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Body Language

• What is this person telling you?

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Body Language
You have just asked this person for help does
she seem willing to help?
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Body Language
Is this employee concerned about your problem?
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Body Language

• You just asked this person a technical question.
  Based on her expression, how much help is she
  going to be?

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Dont Forget - Hot Buttons

• In order to effectively communicate, you must
  first be in control of yourself and know what
  your "HOT BUTTONS" are
• How will you respond when they are pushed?
• What sets YOU off?

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Elements That Generate Hostility

• Apathy - "I dont care" attitude
• Brush off Its not my job.
• Coldness
• Condescending attitude
• Robotism Next.
• Rule Book - "Look buddy the RCW says"
• Run around - "I dont know, go ask the other guy."

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Phrases to AVOID!

• I dunno.
• I (we) cant do that.
• I wont do that.
• Youll have to.
• Just a second.
• No to start a sentence
• Its not my job.
• Its standard procedure.
• BUT . . .

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Phrases to USE!

• How may I help you?
• Let me suggest
• Id like to ask you
• Its my pleasure
• Please.
• Thank you.
• Youre welcome.
• Id be happy to
• Yes, I believe I could do that.

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Dealing With Difficult People

• Principle 1
• Let the person say what he wants, as long as he
  does what you say
• Principle 2
• Always go for a win-win solution
• By using principle 1

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How would YOU deal with a Difficult Person?

• BEWARE Drugs / alcohol high EMOTION and low
  REASON, in spite of any techniques
• People dont make good decisions when upset
• Get the first words out and set the tone
• Use the team approach (back-up)
• Disengage if you feel threatened
• Keep your own emotions level

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Techniques for handling difficult people

• Let them VENT!
• Show you're listening (active listening skills).
• Understand You must be really frustrated.
• Make a rule Ill help you if you stop swearing
  at me.
• Talk low Why would you want to do this?
• Paraphrase So what youre saying is...
• Focus on the PROBLEM, not the person.

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Be a PROBLEM SOLVER

• Find out who or what the problem is.
• What resources can solve the problem?
• Give them a time frame when the problem might be
  solved.
• Know what the internal and external barriers are.
• Find solutions and alternative solutions to deal
  with the problem.

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Anger/Threat Signs

• Psychological and physiological anger/threat
  signs
• Skeletal/muscular
• Tightening of muscles
• Jaw clenching, fist clenching
• Rapid head/eye movements
• Facial contortions

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Anger/Threat Signs

• Psychological and physiological anger/threat
  signs
• Respiratory and circulatory system
• Rapid or shallow breathing
• Excessive perspiration
• Hand wringing, gasping for air

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Anger/Threat Signs

• Psychological and physiological anger/threat
  signs
• Language patterns
• Rapid or slowed speech
• Use of profanity
• Incomplete sentences, repeating self
• Verbal threats, inappropriate voice tone
• Not making sense

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When Words Fail

• S.A.F.E.R.
• Act when one or more of these are present

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S.A.F.E.R.

• Security
• Whenever others are in imminent jeopardy
• Whenever property under your control is
  threatened

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S.A.F.E.R.

• Attack
• Whenever your personal danger zone is violated

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S.A.F.E.R.

• Fear
• Whenever you feel threatened

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S.A.F.E.R.

• Excessive repetition
• No voluntary compliance is forthcoming
• Youve exhausted all verbal options

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S.A.F.E.R.

• Revised priorities
• Whenever a matter of higher priority requires
  your immediate attention or presence

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Scenarios
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How would you respond?
What is the problem, if any? What are you going
to do next? What types of follow-up may be
needed? What would you have done differently,
if anything, up to this point? What can go
wrong if its not handled?
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Remember

• Always wear your professional face
• Be alert to their behavior
• Set the tone
• Paraphrase and empathize
• Show respect to people at all times
• Dont reactrespond
• Know when to act when words fail

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The Maladjusted Mechanic
James has worked for the agency for ten years,
and has been known as antagonistic and
belligerent to his co-workers and even the
public. Co-workers avoid him because of his
temper. You are his direct supervisor, and
recently counseled him three times about his lack
of professionalism in interpersonal
communications. Now, a co-worker has just
reported to you that James is drunk, lying asleep
on a creeper in the garage where he had been
checking the brakes on a maintenance vehicle.
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Do you hear what I hear?
Youre at the safety rest area walking past John
at the coffee station. John has volunteered here
for twelve years but his appearance has been
getting noticeably sloppier over the past year.
John looks agitated, and overhear him saying he
is going crazy with the voices, and that they are
getting louder and louder. You watch as he
closes his eyes and says louder, I need to make
them stop! I have GOT to do something about
this!! I cant take any more! John starts
saying over and over, Be quiet! Be QUIET! Just
shut up!
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Why cant we be friends?
Youve been left in charge for a month. Bill has
worked here for five years, and was a great
employee until the past two months. He used to
be easy-going and friendly, but now hes
short-tempered and agitated. You have tried to
encourage him, but he ignores you. Darla works in
the adjacent office. Today she tells you that
Bill has been harassing her, hanging around her
office, calling her, following her home, and
leaving gifts at work. She told him repeatedly
that she is not interested, and to leave her
alone. She wants you to do something about
this!
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Clumsy Co-Worker
Your co-worker, who you consider a friend, has
been acting distant lately. She has taken more
sick leave than usual, and is vague when you ask
how shes doing. Youre worried when she shows
up for the third time with cuts on her face. She
says shes just been clumsy because shes
distracted with a project shes working on.
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Take the bus
Youre traveling on the main highway in a
department vehicle. Your co-worker, in the
passenger seat, has been gesturing with both
hands to describe a comedy routine from TV, when
you see a blue Camaro behind you start veering
side to side. Youre in the left lane, almost
past a slow-moving truck, when the Camaro speeds
up to ride your bumper, and the driver flips you
off.
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It must be a full moon
Two co-workers are having an argument, blaming
each other for not ordering the correct supplies.
Their raised voices are getting louder, and they
have started shoving at each other. A crowd is
gathering to watch as you walk up to see what all
the shouting is about.
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Who is responsible for YOUR safety?

• YOU!
• Dont compromise your safety for fear of
  ridicule, embarrassment, or belittlement. If you
  err about the intent of a person, err on the side
  of your safety.
• AND, dont become complacent.

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Questions or comments?